Taking you into the unknown. One day at a time.

December 30, 2013

Delta. Sleeping on the plane. Shanghai Joes with family. Chicken soup before going to bed. Dim sum with family. A Target run. BERGDORF! FAO! Gordon Ramsey's. Lucian having a conversation in french with the (famous) Maitre'D. Greenwich. Haircut. Awesome Italian lunch. White truffles and a good Negroni. Oyster House. Angel. Road trip part one. Dunkin Donut holes. Finally getting to experience the Buffalo Trader Joes. Walden and the Apple store (finally getting Mom setup with real internet and a system that can do something). Canada/Peller Estates (Lucian knocks another country off the list, and we have the best lunch of vacation). Christmas Eve. Christmas Day (time with family and friends). Road trip part deux. Copycat. Garbage (a version of rock paper scissors). Swipe off bug. Ticklecookie. Chop cheese (which later morphed into chop everything). Date day (hitting two of the best restaurants of 2013 in one day: Lafayette and Alder). Beefing up Ryan's wardrobe with the most fantastic cocktail jacket ever. Back into Manhattan for our usual stop at Oyster bar (which turned into a 2 hour lunch). Seeing the Statue of Liberty. Walking through Wall Street (finally, I get to see the Stock Exchange live, not just from the tv frame of CNBC). Family dinner at Aquagrille. (Ive eaten more seafood than a tuna processing plant at this point). Finally some down time at home. Getting parcels ready to ship back. Packing. Remembering how much fun we've packed into this holiday. And looking forward to everything in 2014. Plane trip tomorrow (and a visit from the best friend). Hee.

December 29, 2013

Oh Mr. Veepee. My Mr. Veepee. We keep saying the same thing, but it bears repeating given the words hold so much truth. Tempus fugit. At warp speed. It's hard to believe that 5 years ago, you were this soft, squishy little thing we had to hold and carry and rock to sleep. More incredible still that today you are an active board member with opinions (oh man, the opinions, soooo many opinions...just..erg), thoughts, observations, and never ending chatter (don't stop that by the way, we love it). You are zooming your way through Kindergarden, learning new things every day, traveling, exploring and just having a ball most of the time. You make us remember our own early experiences, and it's a good thing. Nothing like having you as a constant reminder to stop and live in the moment for a bit.

2013 has been a long year, but a good one. We've been to NYC (twice!), to France, to Newport, to Legoland, to Tahoe. Lots of miles, and so many more adventures still to go (we marked the Statue of Liberty off your list this weekend, Canada last weekend, and yes, your desire to see the Eiffel tower is noted and recorded). Just as you are learning all manner of new things, so are we (investing, mass psychology, how to be a cranky old dodger, all the continuing advances in technology). You will grow up with so many different paradigms than we did, its almost breathtaking to stop and think about this. But where were we? Ah yes, the recap. In a nutshell: tons of travel, beaches, pools, lakes, lots of sun, an INSANE quantity of grrrreat food, and many chances to have downtime as a family and connect/interact/enjoy who we are at this juncture in time. 2013 has made us recognize our blessings, and end the year with a feeling of deep gratitude. Perfection does not come to us easily (if at all), but it is nice to know that there are a golden list of rules to work towards.

Hopeful that 2014 yields some even better changes (more self discipline, less gadgets and more focus on the human interaction) and more adventures (will we finally get to go down under and visit the most far flung outpost of Binkomonster? That's the plan anyway...)

Here's to understanding and appreciating what we have, and to looking forward to a bright new year!

July 24, 2013

A week ago, found us in Provence. Villecroze. Surrounded by friends and family. Enjoying the heat, the local markets, food and wine. Relaxed. For the most part, unplugged from all the noise of daily life in the Valley. A week before that, the VeePee's birthday. He turned half a decade old. Hard to believe since it was just yesterday that we brought him home. Two weeks before that, was the VeePee's last day of school (PreK). Come the Fall, he'll officially be in Kindergarden. How is it that time flies so fast?

It has been a wonderful summer. We're indulging in water parks, winery picnics, visits from friends, travels to far places, and just general happiness. Trying to remember that life is meant for savoring. And sometimes, that's harder than you might think. Work tends to be a demanding taskmistress. And coupled with the other demons that must be kept at bay, getting to a state of being able to appreciate the riches isn't always easy. But we are, getting there.

Here's hoping that the summer for all of our connected universe is just as lovely. That folks are taking time to enjoy the best bits (sunny days, trees with full green leaves blowing in the breeze, warm ocean water, evaporated sea salt on the skin, fresh oysters with a good white wine, fantastic ice cream on a hot day....)

Fall is around the corner... but that will bring its own goodness too.

January 23, 2013

Each formula may be different, but here at Binkomonster, I think we've certainly hit upon a winning set of ingredients. The entirety of the past weekend was a prime example of perfect, but Sunday in particular stood out. So, what comprises a day of perfect?

1. Lucian sleeping ALL through the night in his new bed, and getting up at 7:30AM (WITHOUT DISRUPTING THE PARENTAL UNITS). *That* right there folks. That alone.

2. Getting a quick push out of the house, and stopping for a lovely breakfast at La Boulange, coupled with a deep, heart to heart conversation with my other half.

3. Going to the range and getting some great practice in. Shooting a 23, 20 and 20 on Wobbles at 18 yards.

4. Taking Lucian to TrainTown and spending a lovely and warm 2 hours on the diesel, feeding the critters, and doing the rides.

5. Having a quick pizza lunch after to chase away the hunger pangs.

6. Coming home, getting quickly scrubbed up, and having friends over to celebrate birthdays with a bucket of KFC, a Shubert Bakery Black Forest cake and some great wine.

7. Passing out while delightfully tired with a smile on my face, after putting Lucian to bed with some stories/cuddles and kisses.

Simple. Not complicated. But so incredibly soul-restoring. If there were a way to bottle the above and create an emergency store that I could raid when the roller-coaster starts to head on the negative trajectory, I'd do it in the blink of an eye. 2013 is off to a great and calm start. Carpe Diem.